A long vowel is when the vowel says its name. For example, in the word "fake", the "a" is saying its name. For a vowel to be long, it usually does not stand alone. It is often times accompanied by an "e" at the end of the word (only 1 letter away) or is spelled using two letters (ea, oa). Short vowels usually stand alone as in "pot" and says its sound.
